


two men in the basement

by fourshoesfrank



Series: autistic marvel [10]
Category: The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Autism Spectrum, Autistic Frank Castle, Gen, Sensory Overload, its 2019 lets stop woobifying ppl during meltdowns, this is a vent fic, tw meltdown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 00:45:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17498435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourshoesfrank/pseuds/fourshoesfrank
Summary: Frank doesn’t listen to Curt’s warning about the potential sensory hell in the room where group is held. Curtis stays with Frank when he has a meltdown after the meeting.





	two men in the basement

**Author's Note:**

> this is 100% a vent fic because my school is hot all the time so the ac is going even in the winter and sometimes it’s loud and i just wish someone would help.......anyway enjoy!

Curtis is not to blame for this. He called Frank on Tuesday and told him that the AC was broken, so it was hot in the church’s basement and it was pretty damn noisy too. It’s not Curtis’ fault that Frank Castle is a stubborn son of a bitch who seems to enjoy hurting himself. It is not Curtis’ fault that Frank is currently rocking back and forth in the corner with his back to Curtis. This is all Frank’s fault. Every ounce of the blame lies with Frank, not Curt.

 

That doesn’t mean Curtis doesn’t want to help. He was a medic, he knows how to treat people in shock, and he figures that an autistic meltdown can’t be too different from going into shock, right?

 

Frank didn’t seem totally present during the discussion. He sat down in a different chair than he normally did, and Curt noted that Frank’s new spot was as far from the air conditioning unit as he could be without leaving the circle entirely. He also didn’t talk, which wasn’t anything new. Frank was a man of few words. There was nothing wrong about that, nothing that made Curt pull him aside afterward and ask if he was okay. It was the movement that did tipped Curt off.

 

Frank never stopped tapping his feet, twisting his fingers together, and slightly shaking his head back and forth for the entire session. Curt noticed almost right away. Back in Afghanistan, that kind of repetitive movement had meant that Frank was on edge, or that he’d already gone off the edge and was trying not to let it show.

 

Frank is still shaking his head back and forth as he rocks, with Curt watching. The medic in him wants to talk to Frank and assess how he’s doing, but the friend in him knows that that’s a bad idea. Frank hardly ever talks when he’s like this. Talking makes it worse for him.

 

Curt doesn’t have anything that might help. He doesn’t even have a shock blanket, because who the hell thinks they need to bring a shock blanket to a group meeting? When somebody gets overwhelmed, they’re allowed to step out and gather themselves, or leave altogether. Frank hasn’t gotten that memo, apparently.

 

Thinking about memos makes something in Curt’s brain click. He doesn’t have a shock blanket, but he does have a very heavy coat (with a crumpled up insurance memo in the left pocket). Maybe that can help.

 

Frank is still doing his thing over in the corner, rocking back and forth with his hands wrapped tightly around his knees and his head shaking frantically. It doesn’t seem right for Curt to see him like this. Frank has never been the vulnerable one.

 

Curt retrieves his coat from the rack and slowly walks over to Frank. Keeping a slow pace means that he’s giving Frank the option to move away or tell him to stop. Frank does neither of those things, and Curt considers the possibility that he can’t hear his footsteps over the drone of the air conditioning. Why is the AC even turned on during January, anyway? Whose idea was that? Whose idea was it to hide the controls in a place Curt doesn’t have access to?

 

Never mind. Curt deliberately makes his steps louder, and keeps them at the same slow pace. Frank reacts now. He scoots forward an inch or two and turns to face Curt.

 

Curt isn’t prepared for Frank’s eyes to be red. He’s never known Frank to cry over anything like...well, anything at all. He can’t ever remember seeing Frank cry.

 

There’s a first time for everything, and Curtis does not intend to make this the first time he failed to help someone who needed it. Even if that someone is a stubborn son of a bitch who got himself into this predicament by ignoring his friend’s advice. Curt kneels down and holds out the coat to Frank, who looks at him with as quizzical a look as he can manage. Yep, Curtis was right. Frank doesn’t have words right now.

 

“It’s not a shock blanket, but I think it’ll work,” he explains, shaking the jacket a little for emphasis. Frank’s expression stays the same, but he tilts his head a little, making Curtis think that he’s asking a different question this time.

 

“I assume you’re having a meltdown, right?”

 

Frank nods, and his expression switches from questioning to something Curt can’t read. He continues with his answer to the second question.

 

“When people are in shock, I give ‘em heavy blankets. Helps ‘em calm down. This ain’t a blanket, but I think it’ll do the job.”

 

Frank takes the coat out of his hand and wraps it around his own shoulders. He stays still for a moment before he nods. This’ll work, that nod says. Curt nods back.

**Author's Note:**

> i love getting feedback pls leave a comment and/or kudos!


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